Drunk woman says she fired gun because anti-gun control sheriff said it was OK

An intoxicated woman in Milwaukee says that she fired a weapon during an argument with her niece because she had heard Wisconsin Sheriff David A. Clarke’s radio ad saying that citizens should get “in the game” and arm themselves instead of calling 911.

A criminal complaint obtained by the Journal Sentinel indicated that 36-year-old Makisha Cooper had told police that she was following Clarke’s advice that “simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option.”

Cooper said “that she knows her rights regarding having a firearm because she heard Sheriff Clarke on the radio stating that she could own a gun to protect herself,” according to the complaint.

Police determined that a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun that she presented to them had recently been fired. Cooper explained that she had fired the gun once in connection to a fight she was having with her niece.

A preliminary breath test found that she had a blood-alcohol content of .13 percent.

Cooper was charged with use of a dangerous weapon while intoxicated and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. She could spend up to 18 months in jail and faces $20,000 in fines if convicted on both misdemeanor counts.

“There is no parallel between this case and what I said,” Clarke said in a statement posted on the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. “How is this a personal protection issue? There is a difference between law-abiding gun owners and the drunk and stupid.”

“Why did this Assistant DA undercharge this offense?” he asked. “This suspect should have been charged with a felony, as should anyone using a gun illegally. Under-charging, watered down prosecutions and other social engineering experiments are a contributing factor in the cause of gun violence in Milwaukee.”

“When the Milwaukee County DA and the Milwaukee County judiciary begin to hammer people using guns illegally, criminals will alter their behavior,” Clarke concluded. “Instead, these soft-on-crime advocates choose to attack law-abiding gun owners, and their ability to be able to protect themselves.”

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.